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by cym70



Series: Displaced [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 22:24:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5557835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cym70/pseuds/cym70
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following a confrontation with Yellow Diamond, Peridot has to face the reality of never being able to return to her home planet. The Crystal Gems make sure she doesn’t go through it alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

> This a sequel to my previous fic Displaced, and is set after they've defeated the Cluster and Yellow Diamond took notice of what happened, paying a visit to Earth to try and deal with the Crystal Gems. I might go back and write some of that later, but for now just assume they had some kind of showdown with YD and everyone made it out okay in the end (because they’ll always find a way~). I’m sure as soon as the show comes back this’ll get jossed but shhh, it’s canon-divergent anyway.

Just over a month after Peridot helped the Crystal Gems stop the Cluster from emerging, Yellow Diamond came to Earth.

She wasn’t sure which was worse, having to face her former superior and the results of her betrayal of Homeworld, or the aftermath of realizing just how little she had mattered in the first place and how she would never again be able to return. Both made her feel sick, made her want to hide somewhere and not have to think about any of it, not have to try and make herself something new, not have to remember all the things she'd done that she regrets after somehow becoming friends with the Crystal Gems.

Friends. Peridot hadn’t ever expected that to come of her association with this unfamiliar planet’s protectors. Yet over the course of the past weeks, she had managed to fumble her way through getting to know the Crystal Gems. Along the way, it had earned her, amongst other things, a mean right hook from Pearl and a fair amount of criticism. She had deserved it though, and she was starting to understand that now. She had outright insulted all four of them on multiple occasions, often without even thinking, because on Homeworld it wouldn’t have been anything unusual to remind someone of their place. On Homeworld, fusions were only for war, quartzes were supposed to be soldiers, and pearls couldn’t think for themselves. On Earth, Garnet is a remarkably kind and competent leader, Amethyst is strong but that is far from being the only thing that defines her, and Pearl displays a more varied skill set than she has seen from any Homeworld gem.

There were still days when Peridot messed things up badly enough to warrant hiding in the bathroom and fearing she might have finally pushed too much. Homeworld was inside her, it was so intertwined with her thought process that she often found it challenging to separate the two. And the Crystal Gems…they were everything that Homeworld hated, and they hated Homeworld too. But, somehow, they always seemed to find it within themselves to forgive her, to explain why something she had said was hurtful or wrong or both, and move on without any real punishment. Instead, she got lectures from Pearl, rambling stories from Amethyst, and succinct corrections from Garnet. And hugs from Steven, when he could see that she was feeling guilty about whatever she’d done. She didn’t get it, didn’t quite grasp this concept of family that he kept insisting upon, but it pushed her to try and do better regardless.

Peridot’s view of herself was currently rather unstable, but she wondered what she would be here. Staying on Earth, and staying with the Crystal Gems, didn’t even seem like such a strange idea anymore. She still had a lot to figure out, but she had come to terms some time ago with her choice to help them and to try to be part of their…team.

Honestly, she still wasn’t quite sure why they forgave her mistakes so readily. Perhaps because Steven had wanted them to make an effort to welcome her, though they seemed to have moved beyond that now. Lately, as Peridot tried to show them she wanted to learn and phased the harsh Homeworld speech out of her vocabulary as best she could, they’d seemed to open up to the idea of her sticking around. They’d even offered her a small “air mattress” they’d dug out of Amethyst’s room to serve as a bed, which Peridot kept in the bathroom and used occasionally when she felt like sleeping, since it was more comfortable than the floor. And they allowed her the bathroom as her own space, which she appreciated since she’d never had any real privacy on Homeworld. It was nice.

That was where she found herself now, in the night following their confrontation with Yellow Diamond. Sitting in a corner with the lights off, just like she had when she first arrived. She wasn’t sure whether she felt better or worse than she had back then. Mostly she just felt lost.

The quiet knock on the door signaled the end of her musings, and she welcomed it even as she dreaded having to revisit any of the day’s events with someone else.

“Peridot?” Steven whispered into the dark. He slipped into the bathroom, hand searching for the light switch.

“Don’t,” Peridot said quietly. “I don’t want to talk.”

His arm dropped back to his side. “Okay.” He closed the door gently behind him and carefully made his way over to Peridot in the dark, feeling his way along the wall. When he bumped into her, he slid down to the floor and clumsily put his arms around her.

Peridot found her face shoved against his shirt and his limbs restricting her movement, making her want to recoil. “What are you doing,” she asked flatly.

“Hugging,” he replied firmly, holding her tightly but not in a painful way.

“Why?”

“Because you said you didn’t want to talk but you seem really sad.” Steven moved a little, letting her get more comfortable. “I didn’t want to leave you all by yourself.”

Peridot slowly relaxed, sagging against Steven’s shoulder and trying her best not to cry.

“I’m sorry you can’t go home anymore,” he whispered.

Her fists clenched, and she felt like she was trembling all over. “It was an awful home anyway, right?” she asked weakly, trying to laugh.

“Maybe, but…it’s still okay to be sad about it.”

Peridot crumbled, tears spilling silently out of her eyes, clouding her visor and dampening his shirt. She clung onto him tightly. “I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice.

“It’s okay, Dot,” Steven said gently.

“I-I still miss it. I hate it, but I miss it, and I…” She let out a small, broken sob. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He caught movement and light in the corner of his eye and looked up to see Pearl standing in the doorway. She smiled faintly and held a finger up before he could say anything, slipping away again.

Peridot continued to cry softly, letting Steven support her weight.

He squeezed her tight again. “You still have us though, okay?”

She didn’t reply, just held on. They stayed like that for a few more minutes, until the door creaked open again, letting a stream of light into the room from outside.

Peridot noticed it this time and let go of Steven quickly, swiping at her eyes.

“What do you want?” she demanded, shrinking back a little as Pearl walked in and trying to hide her tears.

“Tea,” Pearl said. “I mean, I don’t. Want it. But I made some.” Her face tinged blue with embarrassment as she offered Peridot the cup.

Peridot stared at it blankly.

“Humans find warm drinks to be comforting, and I admit it is one of the few things they consume that I’m not _completely_ averse to.” She knelt on the floor next to them. “You should also know that you have a place here. I’m not sure if that was…clear, but you do. Especially after today.”

The smaller gem shook slightly and nodded, eyes wet as she took the teacup with both hands. The warmth radiated into her palms, and she looked down at it, biting the inside of her lip to keep it from trembling. “…Thanks,” she managed after a few long moments. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Pearl hesitantly placed a hand on Peridot’s shoulder, then patted it once. “I’m really not very good at this sort of thing, so I’ll just go.” She stood up and made her way to the door. “If either of you need anything, we’ll be in the living room. And Steven, you really do need to get some sleep tonight, so don’t stay up too long.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll come say good night again in a little while, I promise!” Once Pearl had left, he turned back to Peridot. “I can stay in here tonight if you want me to.”

Peridot shook her head. “It’s okay.” She stared down at the tea. “You can go now.”

“Oh. Are you sure?”

“Please,” she said quietly.

Steven reluctantly got up, giving her one more hug, careful not to jostle the teacup. “Good night, Dot.”

“Good night, Steven.”

Peridot sat in silence, taking small sips of the tea. It was nice, but she mostly just liked the warmth of it in her hands. She held it between her palms until it grew cold, and then set it aside on the edge of the bathtub. She felt like crying again but she really, really didn’t want to. Instead, she tried to just _not think._ She was bad at that though, especially with nothing to distract her. A small part of her wished she had the courage to go seek out company but she didn’t know who she’d want to talk to anyway, or if she wanted to talk at all.

“Peridot.”

She looked up sharply, startled, and found Garnet in front of her.

“Come join the slumber party.”

“The what?”

“Slumber party,” she repeated, pointing back over her shoulder. “It’s mandatory.”

Peridot squinted at her, fairly certain that she was joking but not entirely positive. Either way, she stood up and followed Garnet out to the main part of the house. Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl were all lying down on a pile of blankets, pillows, and stuffed toys, though Steven was the only one actually sleeping. Amethyst had one arm draped over Pearl, who was lying on her side and watching Steven silently, looking lost in thought.

“We have a new party member,” Garnet announced quietly, pushing Peridot forward by the shoulders.

“Hey,” Amethyst greeted her in a low voice.

Pearl’s eyes moved briefly to the new arrival before flickering back to Steven. “Hello.”

“You should try sleeping,” Garnet said, already joining the other three, lying down on the opposite side of Steven. She reached one arm across him to take Pearl’s hand, gripping it firmly. “Pearl. He’s safe. You need to rest too.”

Pearl sighed, fingers curling tightly around Garnet’s. “I know,” she murmured.

Peridot averted her eyes and hesitantly joined them on the floor, sitting down next to Amethyst.

The purple gem grinned and turned over, letting go of Pearl to tug Peridot down so she was lying on her back. “C’mon, give it a shot, you look worn out.”

Peridot let herself be moved, feeling limp and not quite present.

“Today sucked,” Amethyst said in some attempt at sympathy. “But it’s done now, right?”

“Yeah,” Peridot whispered, shivering slightly.

“Welcome to the Crystal Gems,” Garnet said quietly.

Peridot felt her eyes well up with tears and she wasn’t sure whether they were happy or sad or a little of both. She turned and hid her face in Amethyst’s shoulder.

“You did good, Peri,” Amethyst whispered. “You did really good.”

She felt the other gem move her hand up and down her back, easing a little bit of the tension out of her shoulders, and cautiously drew an arm around Amethyst, who was reassuringly _there_ , unmistakably real. Amethyst’s steady and unnecessary breathing was real, the faint glow of Pearl’s gem as she started to doze off was real, and Garnet’s safe and watchful gaze, lingering on each of them in turn before she closed her eyes, was real. And Steven, sleeping soundly in the middle of it all after a long day, was real. Homeworld may have stripped Peridot of everything she knew, but she had new constants and perhaps—no, almost certainly—a new home as well. A home where other gems actually cared to see if she was okay, invited her into their circle, and comforted her with kind words and warm tea and traditions she didn’t quite understand. And maybe she hadn’t been here long, but she knew without a doubt, without any regrets, that she had made the right choice.

Peridot barely slept at all that night, but in the morning there was a small green star stuck to her hand and Steven was smiling and she felt alive.


End file.
